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Books can open doorways to discovery. Perfect Piggies! (2010) by Sandra Boynton, for example, delights babies and toddlers with quirky fun and upbeat illustrations--and helps grown-ups interact with children. 'Isn't [...]

Imagine sitting in a library meeting room bustling with excited young children and their curegivers. The house lights go down, a hush falls over the audience, and lively music fills [...]

The question is not whether play is valuable--it is--or whether libraries can be a focal point for children's learning through play--they most certainly are. Rather, the question should be 'How [...]

The article discusses the family engagement which helps in the transformation of library services and the good practice in discovering the world. Topics mentioned include the use of Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) of public libraries as resources of early learning for young children, the examples on how library exprience had transformed family lives, and the library projects such as Family Info Centers and Library Family Cafés which connect to families at risk.

The article focuses on the Emergent Literacy Peer Coaching project at Carroll County in Maryland which was designed to improve peer coaching among library staff members for the promotion of best practices in storytimes. It states that the project was developed through the efforts of Stephanie Shauck, youth services coordinator for Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Library Development and Services, in response to the failure of storytime presenters to implement what they learn from an emergent literacy training program. It mentions that the staff members engaged in self-reflection and observed one another's storytimes. Moreover, the peer coaching project resulted to the improvement of staff member's knowledge based and/or emergent literacy storytime delivery.

The article discusses the effort taken by various U.S. libraries to create or renovate spaces for reading, playing and learning. Topics covered include the Family Place area of the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, New York, the nautical-themed Schooner Cove play area at the Havre de Grace branch of the Harford County Public Library in Maryland and the Westminster Train Station play-and-learn area at the Westminster branch of Carroll County Public Library in Maryland.